Principal’s Weekly Update- March 30, 2018

Distinguished Service Award

In January I received notification that Tom O’Brien our Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Wellness, will be awarded the NIAA (National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association) Distinguished Service Award.This will be presented to Tom tonight at the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association (MSSADA) Annual Awards Banquet. Tom truly is most deserving of this honor and we are so very grateful for all he does for the students of Hillie Nation. Congratulations Tom!

English Language Arts (ELA) MCAS

Grade 10 students completed the first round of MCAS Testing. Students who missed any of the reading comprehension sessions, (1-3) can make them up next week, April 2-4. If a student missed the long composition there is only one make-up day, which is Thursday, April 5th.

Autism Awareness

The month of April is Autism Awareness month! This Monday, April 2nd we ask all of Hillie nation to wear blue in support of Autism Awareness.

Model UN Alumni

The alumni in the Model UN Programs are doing amazing! Caroline Mulligan is the Secretary of Suffolk University’s Model UN program! Alejandro Lopez is the Secretary General in charge of the entire program at UMass, Lowell! We are thrilled to announce that next year, Grace Stanton is the Secretary General, again in charge of the program, of the National High School Model United Nations conferences in New York City. This is the biggest one in the world, it works with the actual UN and involves upwards to 60 different countries!! Go Hillies!!

Hillie Wrestlers:

Congratulations to our Hillie wrestlers who competed last weekend in Virginia Beach at the National Tournament. Senior Nick Tejada, Junior Sam Prescott, and Sophomores Jake Nicolosi and Steven Wise each won a match on the national stage, and Jake Nicolosi finished in the top 20 in the nation!! It was a phenomenal weekend and experience for these four fine young men!! Congratulations Hillies!

Canned Food Drive

Please help us collect nonperishable food items for local Food Bank. The food bank serves many families in need within our community. Students can drop off items in Ms. LaBelle’s room 210 thru May 21st.So much is needed including canned vegetables and fruits, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, rice, beans, pasta, and juice. Special “Red Noses” will be given out the last week to the most creative givers!

Cafeteria Updates:

Starting Monday, April 2nd:

​Make your own salad bar offered daily!

Grab & Go Chicken Nugget station will be located in the Snack Bar.

Made to order “Deli Bar” will be located in the main cafeteria.

Self-Serve condiments on the Nacho Line!

New Food Line order in the main cafeteria. Lines are numbered and in order of the new menu.

Line #1 – Burger Bar

Line #2 – Nacho Bar

Line #3 – Pizza

Line #4 – Chicken Tenders

Line #5 – Self Serve Deli & Made to order Deli Bar

Line #6 – Daily Chef Specials

New Decor!

Mary Poppins – Spring Musical – April 5-7, 2018

Please gather your family and friends next weekend and come see a performance of Mary Poppins. Our cast includes Olivia Azzarito & Caitlin McCutcheon, playing Mary Poppins, JJ Castillo & Aaron Povenmire, playing Bert. The roles of Mrs. Banks will be performed by Elizabeth George, and the role of Mr. Banks will be played by Ollie Longo and Kam Brooksmore. Jane Banks will be played by Natalie Plourde and Emily Hendrick, and Michael Banks will be played by Jared Filaseta and Elijah Martinez. Wishing the best to all our performers and all of our students working behind the scenes!

Tickets are available at the door: Students and seniors: $5.00, adults: $8.00

Career Day at Lawrence General Hospital

The Freshman students in our Healthcare Occupations program spent March 23rd at Lawrence General Hospital learning about various career opportunities within Healthcare. The students were able to tour various departments, such as Surgical Services and the Laboratory, as well as participate in Round Table Discussions with professionals from many other departments throughout the hospital including Radiology, EMT, Nursing, Hospitalists, etc. The students learned a lot and look forward to volunteering for the hospital when they are older! Special Thanks to Brenda LeBlanc, Volunteer Coordinator, for her efforts in planning this wonderful event for area students.

Third Annual Job Fair

Students were fortunate to have several businesses attend this year’s Third Annual Job Fair this past Monday, March 26th. Representatives from Continental Pools, High Sierra Pools, Home Depot, New England Utility, Renewal by Anderson, Workforce Investment Board and the YMCA were available to discuss possible summer job opportunities during the students’ lunch periods. Thank you to the businesses for their participation! Available Job Opportunities can be found at our online Job Board http://hhs.haverhill-ps.org/parents/job-opportunities/. For more information about our Job Board, please contact Lisa Hunt at lhunt@haverhill-ps.org.

School Counseling Update

Any student taking an AP exam in May must attend one of six scheduled pre-administration sessions. The purpose for holding a pre-administration session is to save time on exam day by having students complete required information on their first AP exam answer sheet. These sessions last approximately 45 minutes and will all be held directly after school at 2:20pm. More information will be sent out next week. It is the student’s responsibility to inform Mrs. Dion, Ms. Foster, or Ms. Cannon if they cannot attend a pre-administration session for any reason. The dates available for pre-administration are as follows:

Tuesdays: April 10 & 24 or May 1

Wednesdays: April 25 or May 2

Thursdays: April 12 & 26 or May 3

Class of 2018 Reminders

The HHS Scholarship Portal will close on March 30th. However, keep in mind that we still continue to receive scholarship applications in the Counseling Office. Seniors, be sure to check Naviance for new scholarships!

Seniors, don’t forget to update your counselor and enter the college application decisions in your Naviance account! We are eagerly waiting to see which colleges students are being accepted to and we like to share this news!

Upcoming School Counseling Events

An AP Potential Information Session will be held on April 4th at 5pm in the HHS Library for the parents/guardians of students interested in taking AP courses for the 2018-2019 school year. This presentation will take place directly before the College Fair.

Annual HHS College Fair will be held on Wednesday April 4th at 6pm in the HHS Library. Over 60 colleges, universities, and technical programs will be in attendance! The complete list of schools is attached.

HHS will host ASVAB testing on Tuesday April 3rd beginning at 7:30am. The ASVAB, or Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, is a 3 hour exam that is used for two purposes. The ASVAB is the exam students must take for eligibility determination for military enlistment and job selection. The ASVAB can also be used by any student, regardless of interest in the military, to asses skills in four major domains (verbal, math, science/technical, and spatial). This test can also be used as a career exploration tool to help students make informed decisions about potential occupations. Student scores are not released to the military though this exam.

If you have questions about guidance please contact Jami Dion, Supervisor of Guidance K-12 @ 978-374-5700 ext. 1133 or jdion@haverhill-ps.org